


Polka Dots and Moonbeams

by Mustardcustard



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Balcony Scene, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Cheesy, Dancing Steve Rogers, Dancing and Singing, Dorks in Love, Drawing, Fluff, Help, I Love You, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Singing, Sunsets, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27463156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mustardcustard/pseuds/Mustardcustard
Summary: Bucky Barnes never sings, except for when he has everything he ever wants. Steve loves it, and they end up dancing to Bucky singing Frank Sinatra, eating milk and cookies on the roof, watching the sunset, and just being absolute dorks.I won't ruin it for you, but if you don't mind spoilers look at the third tag and that basically sums it all up.This is for my marvel, Sebastian Stan, obsessed friend. Hope you all enjoy :D
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	Polka Dots and Moonbeams

Steve Rogers. America’s golden boy. War hero. Had everything he ever wanted. Dames, (although they weren’t ever interesting, he was happily taken) money, (although he could care less about that, he just wanted warm feet and a radio to read and sketch by) and fame (something he never wanted). Was in his shared apartment. He was sketching, nothing out of the ordinary, feet raised on an ottoman that warmed by the fire. It was gas, and because Bucky was always so cold it was on practically all the time, even when they weren’t home. The record player that was behind them on its table, slowly turning as it played music that echoed throughout the apartment to the outside balcony and the roaring streets of New York. The outside noise had died down a bit. It was almost sundown on a Tuesday, the shops and restaurants that normally had much clamor on weekends and Fridays, were peacefully quite, only occupied by a few patrons each. 

However what Steve Rogers was drawing (or as he believed his journal was full of mere sketches) was of great interest. The person he shared his apartment with was lying down occupying the seat next to him, head in his lap. The roommate was reading a book before, but now it seems as if they had drifted off to sleep, the book fallen to their chest. Their hair positioned in a bun at the top, with two, thick strands of hair tucked behind their ears on either side of their face. Steve was busy capturing all of the facial features, being sure not to miss the sharp jawline, the swirl of the top-knot, and the way his lips part as he dozed.

Anonymity is for the weak.

Bucky Barnes was Steve Rogers’s roommate.

This was not just because Steve would look after Bucky and Bucky would look out for Steve, they had done enough of that before either of them went under the ice and could more than take care of themselves. It was not just because they were best friends, constantly in each other’s view when they were in the same room. Or in each other’s mind constantly when they spent time apart, only one of them going on a mission when they couldn’t convince S.H.E.I.L.D to let both of them go. Therefore it was not just because they worked close together. It was a mix of all those things.

Also the act they were dating.

They flirted and casually kissed back in the day, as in when they shared an apartment before Bucky signed up to go to war. They started it was supposedly wrong and they both knew that, so neither wanted to take the next step, especially with how wrong it was perceived to be. Neither of them truly understood the love and passion they had for each other, not knowing how much they needed each other, how much they cared for each other and wanted to keep the other safe, how much they wanted to hold each other so tightly the only problem was breathing.

Until Bucky was taken captive by Hydra. The terror Steve felt when Bucky had to leave for war, rising. There was some light in not being in the army, being naïve enough to think Bucky would be O.K. When he heard that Bucky and many other soldiers were captured, his heart dropped, lungs collapsing in on themselves, face white and dotted with sweat. He felt like he was a sick kid in Brooklyn again, even though the serum made that physically impossible. Steve remembered how tightly he hugged Bucky when he found him, the relief that flooded his face, the tears that dared to spill out of his eyes, the promise he made to himself that he would never let him out of his sight. They were official that day forward.

Until the mountains.

And the train.

And Steve let Bucky out of his sight.

He was full of so much sorrow. Next thing he knew he was crashing the plane, not being able to comprehend living without Bucky, the sick feeling in his body that never left no matter how hard he tried. He wouldn’t do it, he wouldn’t live without Bucky, he was with him to the end of the line. He let him out of his sight and then started flirting with Peggy… It was all so wrong.

And then he was alive.

That was pure torture. He wanted to die. He couldn’t fathom living without Bucky and he never wanted to, he just wanted to be laid to rest and wait to see Bucky again.

But he wasn’t laid to rest, he was working for S.H.E.I.L.D as an Avenger, trying to figure out the mysteries of the world and how to stop pure chaos. The job turned from saving America to saving all of the earth, and trying to stop a skilled assassin that was called ‘The Winter Soldier’. A ghost story. Anonymous threat to all of the world. He would take him down if it was the last thing he did, and he was willing for that statement to become fact. Until the mask had fallen, and his identity was revealed.

Oh the joy! Bucky was alive!

But he wasn’t the same Bucky. He was lost, afraid, forced to be someone he was not and Steve cursed himself for that. He had survived the plane crash, so he could have survived going after Bucky. He pictured it. Nose diving right to Bucky, grabbing his arm that was reaching towards him, and holding him tight. They would have been found by Hydra, but at least they’d be together.

And now here they were. Months, _years_ of confusion, and they were together. Listening to Frank Sinatra, the intro to ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’. Steve remembered when it first hit, he would lean outside the window of their old apartment and listen to it being played by some geezers playing chess or some other thing old people did, (Steve and Bucky could be classified as senior citizens but they sure as hell didn’t have the agility of retirees) the memory wasn’t vivid. He did remember who he’d picture while he was listening to it though. Him and Bucky, waltzing around the room, Bucky would sing with the wonderful singing voice he had only heard once. He knew it was wrong to daydream about dancing with Bucky while he sang, but he couldn’t help it.

Steve was finished with his sketch. Content with the details and effort he had put into it. He placed the sketchbook on the small, round table to his left, careful not to wake the sleeping treasure on his lap. He slept oddly stiff, and Steve had concluded it to being in the ice for so long, because he would always be in the most awkward positions on his cot in Brooklyn and barrack. Steve started stroking Bucky’s hair, raking his fingers through his scalp, earning him and sigh of approval from Bucky.

“Not sleeping huh?” Steve asked as he continued to rake his hands through Bucky’s hair.

“I never said I was going to sleep, also do you really believe I could sleep this stiff? I know I was in the ice for a while but damn Rogers have you seen me sleep?” Bucky spoke softly, sighing into his words. Steve just chuckled, and listened to Bucky hum to the trombone of Tommy Dorsey.

“A country dance was being held in a garden.” Bucky had always hummed, too shy to sing, even if Steve had constantly pressured him into doing so. He had only heard him once, when Steve was a sick kid and Bucky’s mind had wandered as he was making a soup. It wasn’t Frank Sinatra, he could remember that much, but he always got in a bad mood when he tried to remember things that happened in the past and couldn’t remember the full details. Only bits and pieces were vivid memories.

“I felt a bump and heard an ‘Oh beg your pardon’.” Steve wasn’t going to interrupt him. His thick singing voice echoed around the room, mimicking Sinatra, which brought more warmth. Steve smirked down at Bucky, who still had his eyes closed.

“Suddenly I saw polka dots and moonbeams.” He opened one eye, and then the other, and made his way so his head and back were off of Steve, but he was still facing him. 

“All around a pug-nosed dream.” Bucky shifted his right arm so it was on Steve’s face, and touched their foreheads together. Steve was in love. This was heavenly. Bucky sure as hell needs to sing more.

“The music started and was I the perplexed one.” Bucky moved away from Steve, off of the couch, which made Steve want to pout but ultimately didn’t. He walked a bit to the fire, before spinning around, his left strand of hair coming free. “I held my breath and said ‘May I have the next one?’” He extended his right hand out towards Steve. He rolled his eyes but quite frankly, couldn’t say no, just mouthing ‘so cheesy’. Steve took it with his left, giving Bucky a well-deserved face even though he knew Steve loved it.

“In my frightened arms, polka dots and moonbeams.” Bucky led, Steve had no clue what he was doing. Side stepping them and slowing turning with each one across their living room. “Sparkled on a pug-nosed dream.” He slowly spun Steve around, who rolled his eyes again. It was as if Bucky was a siren, intoxicating Steve with his voice. He just smirked, _tonight_ , he thought, _I’ll do it tonight._

They continued to slowly dance around the room, Steve taking control and spinning Bucky the more he got comfortable with the moves. Albeit he was clumsy and made Bucky chuckle when he tripped on his own feet, he was a half-decent dancer. They swayed with Bucky’s singing and Sinatra in the background down the hallway to the balcony. It was small, partially due to the fact Steve and Bucky just wanted a small apartment for themselves. They had never dreamed of anything big, except for a balcony. “Small, but it can hold two sun chairs just for us!” Bucky’s younger voice rang through Steve’s head. “Yeah! And we’ll have plants that you’ll water when we come home from work, and I’ll read out loud to you before we go to bed!” Steve would always respond. “And who would hire your scrawny asthma self?” Bucky would bounce back. They’d argue and talk for hours sitting in the park and Bucky would let his imagination run wild and bring it to words to the best of his ability. Steve would scribble all over his notebook of two sun chairs side by side, surrounded by plants who would enjoy the suns light. There wasn’t room for anything else, except for two idiots dancing.

“Now in a cottage built of lilacs and laughter.” Steve broke away so they spilt into a line, picked a lily, and tucked the loose left stand of hair behind his ear with it when they pulled each other back in. “I know the meaning of the words ‘Ever After’”. Bucky smiled and blushed a bit as the lily was tucked behind his ear.

“And I’ll always see polka dots and moonbeams.” Bucky’s voice because huskier and wary while he was leaning back, but Steve’s face and secure hold under his knee and back reassured him that the dip wasn’t to result in him falling and tipping all the plants he had working hard on over. He grabbed Steve’s shoulders as he leaned farther back.

“When I kiss the pug-nosed dream.” He finished with the faint Sinatra in the background. He winked up at Steve, earning him a look.

Steve smirked looking down at Bucky, dipped down in his arms, beautiful white lily tucked behind his ear fit for a beautiful man, blue eyes popping with the flower and dim light. The fairy lights were Bucky’s idea, and they really did something to his eyes when it was dark outside, or at least when the sun was setting. Steve smiled before leaning down and kissing the smirk off of Bucky.

“Who’s the cheesy one now?” Bucky gasped when they pulled away. Steve arched an eyebrow at this, only to kiss him with the same passion that he had before, turning him around so that he could stand up.

“Go on the roof. I’ll bring some cookies and milk.” Steve said when they pulled away. Leaving a very much flustered Bucky to take a few steps on the outside wall, just before leaping to catch the roof edge and pull himself up. That was the good thing about living on the top floor and being an experienced assassin, you could practically have the roof to yourself and get there without the stairs.

Steve shook his head, watching Bucky secretly before heading to the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks right before their bedroom. Taking a deep breath before he turned and started scrambling in his sock drawer. He found was he was looking for, opened it just to make it was still in there, then shut the box with a snap and closed the draw. He turned for the kitchen, pouring two glasses of milk and got their box of chocolate chip cookies out of the cabinet.

“Hurry up Rogers the sun is beautiful!” He heard Bucky yell. Steve shook his head smiling again, and took a deep breath before heading back to the balcony.

They had a pulley system Stark had built for them. They liked eating out or on the balcony, but the sunset looked prettiest on the roof. The system was simple, two bars on either side from the previous ladder that had been there, four cables on all four corners of the tray supported it, with a crank at the top and bottom to pull it up and down. Bucky was already there, and started cranking when Steve had placed the two glasses and box on the tray. Steve backed up a bit from the brick, then ran towards it full speed. He took a few steps on the wall, then launched his hands at the roof ledge. He turned his body around so his back was facing the ledge and his behind could sit on it, as he hoisted himself up. He turned and Bucky ready with his glass of milk, noting it was the one he had poured slightly more into that was meant for Bucky.

They sat crisscrossed, enjoying the delicious cookies and milk, Bucky getting rid of a row in a matter of seconds, while Steve savored each bite. He remembered when they used to save up enough to buy another box when they were just kids. Bucky would always eat everything within a reasonable amount of time and speed, but cookies made him nuts. Steve made them break the box so they could each get enough. After the incident of Bucky eating more than his fair-share, and bouncing off the walls before crashing to an all-time low, groaning on the ground and holding his stomach. Steve could care less now, nothing medically phased either of them anymore.

The true beauty however, was the sunset. It was when it was positioned where every bit of land and sky had been effected by it. Purple, blues, oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds dotted and smeared the sky with its wonderful color, making Steve sigh as he leaned back, his milk gone and the box of cookies nowhere to be found. Bucky downed the last of his milk, getting him a milk-mustache before wiping it away, and scrambled over to him, sitting on the floor in front of Steve’s lap while he rolled his eyes, letting Bucky get in-between his legs. When they were both comfortable, Steve passed the lily in Bucky’s hair to him to hold, while he gently took out the elastic holding the topknot, and leaned to hug him from behind, the lily spinning in Bucky’s metal hand.

“Please sing more,” Steve hummed into his hair, earning a chuckle from Bucky. “I really do love it.”

“Do you remember when I first started singing? You loved it and I never did it since. Until today obviously.”

“I don’t remember exactly, I’m mad at myself for that, but I do remember how much I loved it, and how much you hated it. Why was that?” Steve turned his cheek against Bucky’s hair. It smelled like his Pantene, but also a bit of lily.

“You were fourteen and I was fifteen.” Bucky snuggled closer to Steve.

“Oh Buck.” Steve held him tighter. During this time Steve remembered Bucky was confused with his feelings, and was doing everything in his power to keep them just friends. He had never known the details, and Bucky preferred not to talk about it, “Why dwell on the past when we can ask for whatever we want in the future?” He would always say this calmly, the only question about the past that he refused to answer. It was ironic how much Bucky remembered things and not Steve, or at least that’s what everyone said. Steve knew it was because memories were the only things he had, and when he didn’t, they would still come back to him.

“So you never did it again?” Steve whispered.

“Not until recently. I forgot how to when I went under, I faintly remember being on a mission, hearing music that was familiar to me, Sinatra actually, and almost not being able to complete it because I saw a scrawny blonde boy who kept pestering me to sing. It was something I told myself I wouldn’t do, back in the day and when I went under. It made me want something I couldn’t have, but now I have everything I want.” He sighed further into Steve. “There isn’t a reason not to anymore, is there?”

“No Barnes.” Steve kissed the top of his head. Everything that Bucky had gone through, he was always able to express through his words, even if he needed time he was able to talk to Steve about it. He admired that about him so much.

They just sat there, in a warm embrace, watching the sun set and turn the skies into shades of primarily blues and purples. When it had completely set, and the light was only from the few visible stars in New York and the fairy lights on the roof as well as the balcony. Steve remembered what he wanted to do.

“Hey Buck?” Steve asked lightly.

“Hey Stevie?” Bucky leaned back his head to look at him, and smiled.

“You know I really, with all my heart, love you right?” He smiled looking at the goofy face below him.

“Yes I do Stevie, do you know that I love you with all my heart too?” His face turned dark and he quickly scrambled out of the embrace. “Steve what’s wrong?”

Steve quickly wiped his eyes, yeah sure, he was crying, but he was fine with that.

“Nothing Buck.” He said as he caressed Bucky’s chin with his thumb. “I just…” He sighed and flattened. “I love you so much. When I lost you on the mountain… and then to find out I could have survived it. Then everything I saw and did reminded me of you, or ‘Oh Bucky would have loved this’. And then the day I saw you on the bridge? That you were still here? After all this time I could still get you back?” Tears blinded his vision, and he scoffed before Bucky wrapped his arms around him. By his shuddered breathing he was crying too.

“What I’m trying to say Buck,” he pulled away from the hug, taking Bucky’s face in his hands and brushing away the tear with his thumb, and with a shuddering breath, continued. “I was so happy. I still loved you. I still _do_ love you. It was so hard to let you go, I couldn’t do it. And then I found out I don’t need to? That I still might have a chance? It was my greatest wish.” He kissed Bucky, not being able to resist himself. “I’m never leaving. I’m here forever.” He pulled his right hand away from Bucky’s face, and reached into the pocket of his sweats. He pulled out the black velvet box, and opened it to reveal a gorgeous black ring, shining silver when the light hit it properly, but it was hard to see in the dim lighting. Ten black diamonds embedded in the middle, stretching across so that when it was put on, you could see each and every one perfectly without any plain metal showing. Bucky gasped, looking from the ring to Steve, wide eyed. “I’m with you ‘till the end of the line.”

Bucky blinked back tears and scoffed, but it was the kind where it’s with a smile. He placed his hands on Steve’s face and kissed him, knocking him backwards on the floor of the roof.

“Idiot.” He giggled when he pulled away. He got off of Steve just enough to put the ring on. It fit perfectly complementing his metal arm wonderfully. Bucky bit his lip, admiring the ring through tears, before flinging himself on Steve again.

They giggled against each other before Bucky had rolled off Steve, looking up at the few stars in the now midnight blue sky. Steve was too giddy. He was getting married!

“How long were you planning that?” Bucky asked, peering at Steve through the side of his eye.

“There wasn’t a plan exactly, I got the help from Stark to get your measurements, Pepper to go shopping for it, and Nat to ask if I could marry you. All took about a month in total but it was definitely worth it.” He tickled Bucky at the end, making him giggle more. Jesus did he love this man.

“You asked Nat?” Bucky giggled again.

“Well yeah she’s kind of the closest thing to family you still have…” He trailed off at the end, knowing the loss of his family was a sensitive topic to Bucky. He kissed Steve all of a sudden, making his eyes go wide, before settling his hand to Bucky’s waist and deepening the kiss, turning from his side until he was on top of him.

“I’m sorry?” Steve chuckled when he had pulled away from Bucky, his hand supporting him which lay right next to Bucky’s head.

“You asked Nat.” He giggled once more.

“I’m lost.” Steve shook his head.

“You really thought of every way to make it special. You included Pepper who is kind of a mother figure for both of us, Tony because of our complicated past, and Nat who is one of our best friends.” He hooked his hands behind Steve’s neck. “And you asked her if you could marry me.”

“Yeah that was something else.” Steve chuckled.

“How did that go?” Bucky smirked as Steve settled on his side again.

“I was pretty straightforward with it, I asked her to lunch and I just poured my heart out to her. She was wonderful about it.”

“Was she?” Bucky cocked an eyebrow.

“I mean she tried to limit her teasing, completely listened to me, and thanked me for asking her. Even though, her words not mine, ‘there’s no need to ask me when you have technically been together for over 80 years.’”

“That sounds like something Nat would say.” Bucky laughed, snuggling into Steve’s chest, making him hold onto Bucky tighter.

“Buck?”

“Yes Stevie?”

“I love you.” He kissed the top of Bucky’s head for good measure.

“So cheesy.”

“You love it though.”

“Yes indeed I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! I won't be adding to my regular Drarry fic anymore because I'm experiencing major writers block and I like it as is. If you haven't already seen it, I would check it out!
> 
> 3970 words :D
> 
> Also if your my friend who this was for, you're the pretty one.


End file.
